The Good Doctors?
by unannehmlichkeiten
Summary: Dr Akagi finds love...with Dr Hal Emmerich? Metal Gear Solid 4's big three have come to NERV, and everyone's getting their fair share of love, NERV style! Please reivew, I'm begging you!
1. Chapter 1

The sun shone brightly through the high set, narrow windows set high on the stark metal walls. There was no denying it; this was the depressingly plain interior of NERV HQ. Everyone went about their business as usual, except for a special contingent of higher-ups designated to welcome the new arrivals.

Commander Ikari, Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki, Ops Director Katsuragi, and R&D Director Akagi stood in a tight group on the tarmac above the Geofront, awaiting the mysterious newcomers. After a few minutes, a large-bellied plane came into view, slowly sinking to ground level as it grew closer. The air seemed to liquefy with heat mirages as the craft ground to a halt on the pavement in front of the NERV contingent, and the jet engines slowly spun down as the back hatch slowly lowered itself to the ground.

The NERV contingent waited patiently as the hatch met the ground with a light 'thud,' and three new faces disembarked. There was a tall, older yet well-muscled man in a skin-tight suit; a slightly shorter, younger man with glasses in a sweater and slacks; and a young, blonde girl of about eight years, wearing (strangely enough,) a white apron over a black shirt and green pants. Misato leaned over to her long-time friend Ritsuko, and whispered.

"So, … who are these people, again?" Ritsuko responded, scowling in irritation.

"This is the new Field Ops Inquest and Espionage Team, Philanthropy."

"Phil…Philanthropy?"

"That's their name. They'll be under your command, Major, so I recommend you get acquainted."

"Right…"

The three new arrivals lined up across from the four NERV natives, and introductions began. Commander Ikari stepped forward, and shook hands with the shorter, bespectacled man. The latter then turned to the NERV contingent, and introduced his squad.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Hal Emmerich, but you can call me Otacon. To my right is our field operative, Solid Snake." The older man in the skintight suit gave a slight nod, and reached into a pocket of his vest for a cigarette. He lit and inhaled as Otacon cleared his throat, taking the focal point again.

"Ahem… And this is Sunny, she's…" Otacon seemed at a loss for words, but the girl spoke up cheerily.

"I'm their cook and hacker!" Looking down and shifting his feet slightly, Otacon agreed.

"Yeah… That she is."

There was a pause, interrupted by Commander Ikari's plain and simple introductions. He went down the line, introducing his subordinates with very little ceremony.

"This is my vice commander Kozou Fuyutsuki, Director of Field Operations Major Misato Katsuragi, and Director of Research and Development Dr. Ritsuko Akagi." Otacon stepped forward, and shook each of their hands. He lingered on his last mark, Dr. Akagi, who looked up at him with seductively curious eyes.

"So,…Otacon…what is your field of expertise?"

"It's…uh…Robotics."

"Oh…really? Sounds interesting."

"It is. And…um, what about you?"

"Nothing mind blowing; computer science and artificial intelligence."

"Oh…" Misato watched their exchange, but soon grew tired of their growing attraction. She inserted herself between the two, and pushed them apart.

"Ritsuko, I believe these people are under my jurisdiction. Why not let me do the talking?"

"Thank you, major, but I have just one more question…" Misato spread her arms wide, shielding Otacon from Ritsuko's gaze. "Oh no, Major. Not for him, I meant for Sunny."

Ritsuko left Misato behind, walking instead over to the shy little girl. Ritsuko knelt down in front of Sunny, and looked into her young, innocent eyes.

"And how about you, Sunny?"

"Wh-what about me?"

"You said you could hack. Is that true?"

"Yes…" Ritsuko stood up, and turned back to Otacon, who was peeking out from behind Misato's shoulder. "Otacon, she's a hacker, but just how good is she? Have you had her skills rated?"

"Um, yes. We were examined by Public Security a few weeks back, and they rated her average offensive hacking at Super Class A."

"Unreal…" She looked back to Sunny, who was beaming with satisfaction. "Your kid's a Super Class A hacker? That's impressive."

"What about you, Dr. Akagi? Where are you rated?"

"I've never been good at offensive hacking, but my barrier synthesis and emergency defense skills are rated at Super Class A."

"Looks like you and Sunny could make a great team, Dr. Akagi."

"Sure. But I'd rather make a great team with you…"

"…" She edged in closer, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"Think of it, Otacon: my AI systems in your robots. The union would be…perfect."

"Oh…"

After breaking the two apart again, Misato led the Philanthropy unit inside the Geofront. Sunny kept herself plastered to the window of the transport train as it descended its ropelike path down into the subterranean valley. The artificial light gave the illusion of a sunset, with the blazing orange disc half-obstructed by the obsidian pyramid of NERV HQ. As the train arrived inside and the Philanthropy unit disembarked, led by Misato through the hallways, Otacon began to like his new workplace more and more. All around he saw attractive young women in tan NERV uniforms, going about their business with a bounce in their…step. As Misato continued the tour, she took the three into an elevator, to descend into Central Dogma, where their office would be. They rode the elevator down for quite some time, until Misato finally broke the silence.

"I'm sorry about these elevators. They're so damned slow, but the commander just won't spring for new ones."

"I'm sure he has good reason," Otacon responded, somewhat automatically. Just when he was about to ask which floor they were headed down to, a sudden jolt brought the elevator to a halt. The doors slid open, and Otacon's jaw dropped. Two girls entered the elevator, wearing skin-tight suits even more revealing than any incarnation of Snake's sneaking suits.

"Oh, by the way," Misato said suddenly, "this is Ayanami Rei, and this is Sohryu Asuka. They're part of the Evangelion Project. You'll see them around from time to time.

'Great,' Otacon thought to himself. 'Every woman I've ever gotten involved with has been killed by Snake's enemies, and now we move into NERV and I'm surrounded by all these…beauties. How am I going to manage?' He looked down at the two pilots, who stood directly in front of him with their backs turned, facing the doors of the elevator. Their suits (which he later found out to be called plugsuits,) showed their every curve, and the girls' shapely butts were only an inch or two from his trembling hand.

'Crap. These girls can't be more than fifteen, but…those bodies. And NERV trusts them as pilots? Such power, and yet so young; amazing. I should have moved to Japan earlier.'

"Dr. Hal?"

"…Ah! What?"

"We're here. Let's go, ok?"

"Sure."

Once out of the elevator, Misato led the unit over some moving walkways, struggling to keep her skirt down in the wind gusts at every doorway.

"That's why I hate wearing dresses in here, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Otacon stammered, trying to keep his eyes up.

After a few more minutes of tedious corridor-crawling, Philanthropy reached their new office. The automatic door slid open with a 'whoosh,' and the trio looked inside. Misato led them in, and gave them a small tour.

"So, this is your new office, though you'll be reporting up to the command bridge quite often. It's pretty plain to start with, but you can put up some posters, or whatever you want. Sunny, we'll have Dr. Akagi's people hook up this office to the NERV intranet, and the MAGI system." When Misato said this, Sunny's eyes lit up and her jaw dropped in amazement.

"You-you… You have the MAGI system?"

"Huh? Yeah. It's right here in NERV HQ. Dr. Akagi and her mother built it."

"Uh…" Sunny's eyes rolled back into her head as she fainted with a smile on her face. Misato raised an eyebrow, and turned to Otacon and Snake, looking quizzical.

"Is…she gonna be okay?"

"She's always wanted to see the MAGI, she's heard so much about it through government channels."

"Looks like someone can't keep their mouth shut about their family's work…"

Misato left, and Otacon tended to Sunny. After some coaxing, and the threat of a bucket of ice water, she regained consciousness. Otacon had her in his arms, but quickly let her go as the door flew open once again. It was a small group of NERV technicians, with computer terminals and cables in hand. Entering, they were followed in by Dr. Akagi herself, who stood in the doorway, watching her underlings busy themselves. Sunny ran up to her, a gleam in her eye as she stared up in admiration.

"You heard about the MAGI system, huh?"

"…Yes, ma'am. Can I…can I see it?"

"Why don't I do you one better? How would you like your computer terminal hooked into the MAGI system directly?"

"Uh… I… Yes, please." As Sunny's eyes widened even farther, and she began to look pale once more, Otacon rushed over to her aid.

"Sunny! Calm down, ok?"

"Uh…Right." Akagi crouched down low, bringing her eyes to Sunny's level.

"Sunny, you're an offense hacker, so I suggest you hook up your computer to Melchior, which has some data you can use to mix in to your strategy."

"That sounds great! Can I, Uncle Hal?" Otacon knelt down behind her, putting a hand on her reassuringly.

"It's up to you, Sunny. I'd trust Dr. Akagi's advice if I were…" He trailed off as his eyes fell on Dr. Akagi, who was crouched low, miniskirt riding up amazingly high. A tiny flash of white met his eyes, but Akagi quickly stood up, looking into Otacon's eyes as she did so.

"I'll get those connections active immediately. And I'll see you later, Doctor Emmerich…"

Dr. Akagi winked as she turned and left, leaving Otacon hanging expertly. The NERV technicians continued setting up the new computer systems, except for one who looked up from her work with a scowl. As they continued their work, Snake and Sunny left to see Commander Ikari. Once they were gone, the scowling technician stood up and approached Otacon. Her angry expression betrayed her looks: a normally sweet and gentle face framed by sort brown hair, and a tastefully curved body underneath her tan NERV uniform. She grabbed Otacon by the shoulder of his sweater, and brought him around into her cold stare.

"Hey! What the h- Oh. Hello, miss. What can I do for you?"

"You can stop staring at Dr. Akagi, for one thing."

"I'm so sorry, I don't even have your name yet…"

"It's Maya Ibuki. And I won't have you being such a pervert around my boss. Got it?"

"I'm sorry if I've offended, Miss Ibuki, but I don't think I've done anything wrong. Perhaps if your boss weren't so forward I'd-

"Forward!? She's- You- I'll show you forward!" She reached up, grabbing both of Otacon's shoulders. For a split second, Otacon was expecting a kiss, but was sadly mistaken. Maya pulled her right leg back, chambered her leg tight, and drove her knee swiftly and forcefully into Otacon's poor defenseless groin. He fell to his knees before her, then slumped over onto the metal floor, curling up into a fetal position and shaking as Maya turned and left, confident that he had been successfully dealt with. Otacon writhed in pain, holding back nausea as he mumbled to himself.

"…Such power… …What'd I do?… Uh…"

Chapter 1 ends here, but the story does not! Please keep reading if you find my story appealing; and leave me a review, even if you didn't care for it! I'm straight up begging you now, please let me know how I'm doing. It's the only way I can truly know what works. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

After some more cringing and writhing, and holding back several urges to vomit, Otacon finally found the strength to get up. He staggered to his feet, and limped out; Misato was up on the command bridge, and he needed to know what was going on. But, after a few minutes of wandering without result, he realized that he was lost in the bowels of Central Dogma without a guide. He floundered about, trying to find someone to ask for directions. Sure, it went against his instinct as a man, but it had to be done. He approached a female NERV technician, and pled his case.

"Excuse me miss, I'm looking for the way up to the command bridge, but I'm lost." The woman kept her back turned, but responded.

"You new here, sir?"

"Yes, actually. New. And quite lost." The woman gave a small laugh, and turned around; it was Maya again.

"Well then, I guess you're really up shit creek, huh Doc?"

"You…" She gave him another knee to the groin, and stormed off.

Defeated once again, Otacon stumbled back to his new office, and fell into his chair. The Tech Systems personnel had come and gone, leaving fresh computers behind which lit the dark office partially, leaving mysterious shadows. Otacon was surprised to see a faint red glow coming from one of those shadows, a glow which he later recognized as a cigarette. It suddenly became clear exactly who it was, who had the guts to smoke in a facility with so many "NO SMOKING" signs. Otacon called out to him.

"…Snake… I thought you were up with the Commander…" Snake spoke up, delivering in his gruff wheezing voice.

"_I was. Commander sent us on our way pretty quickly, said he had an appointment with one of the pilots. Sunny's off with the MAGI. What happened to you?_"

"Some NERV girl hit me in the groin…twice…"

"_Must've been that Lieutenant that came in with the computers earlier. She was giving you quite the look, Otacon._"

"But…She seemed so quiet when she came in at first. She looked so gentle, but…"

"_Even the quiet ones will get mean when you hit close enough to their heart. I'd bet she's pretty close with Dr. Akagi, if you know what I mean._"

"It's not my fault, the Doctor's such a flirtatious woman. I couldn't resist."

"_Staring at Akagi's panties really set the girl off. What's her name anyway?_"

"Maya Ibuki."

"_I'll steer clear of that minefield, if I can help it._"

"I just wish I could. It's like she's everywhere."

"_Go talk with the Major about it. She probably knows what's going on._"

"Katsuragi? Yeah, she seems to know pretty much everything about the place. Alright, I'll go. Thanks for that, Snake." He turned to leave, but Snake called out to him from the darkness.

"_One more thing, Otacon._"

"What's that, Snake?"

"_It's dangerous to go alone. Take this._" A grey-suited hand reached out from the shadows, holding a groin cup.

Otacon maneuvered stealthily as he could through the hallways, relying on Snake for support. For once, oddly enough, Otacon was braving the threat of bodily harm while Snake stayed behind at the computers, directing and advising. With Snake's guidance, Otacon made his way to the Command Bridge, where he found Misato. She was standing on the lower level, partially removed from Shigeru, Makoto, and Maya's work stations.

"Miss Katsuragi, may I have a word with you?"

"Dr. Emmerich, good to see you found your way. What can I do for you?"

"Well, it's about one of your employees."

"Wait… Is this about Dr. Akagi?"

"Sort of… you see,-"

"Ritsuko's just a little flirty; she hasn't been with anyone since… Well, you understand."

"Well, there's this woman, her name's Ibuki. As soon as she saw the way I was acting around Dr. Akagi, she went berserk, and attacked me."

"Maya? Are you sure?" Misato looked over her shoulder, where Maya sat at her desk, snuggling a pink cat-shaped cushion she kept under her desk. "I'm sorry, but I just don't see it."

"That's her, I promise. Look, is there anything I need to know about? Some reason I shouldn't get involved with Dr. Akagi?"

"Well," she said sarcastically, "other than our vicious attack Maya over there, I'd say you're fine."

"You don't believe me?"

"I can't see Maya doing anything like that. She has no reason to. I think."

"Alright, I'll get to work then, I suppose."

"Good luck!"

And with that, Otacon trudged back to his office, feeling defeated once again. Try as he might, he could not foresee any reasonable way to be with Ritsuko and avoid Maya's wrath. His thoughts mounted until he entered an elevator headed down to his office's floor, shaken by his company. It was Asuka Sohryu, one of the Evangelion Pilots. She was still wearing her plugsuit, and he felt a little off balance around her while stepping in. Luckily for him, Asuka took charge and broke the silence.

"You're the new guy, right?"

"Y-Yes. Dr. Hal Emmerich. Oh, but you can call me Otacon."

"Otacon? You look a little pale. Feeling ok?" Otacon looked Asuka up and down once more, quickly.

"Ok, I guess. I was just…um…hit, recently."

"In the groin? Tough stuff. Too bad, but you'll live. Who did it, anyway?"

"Why so curious?"

"I want to shake their hand," she said coyly.

"It was Maya Ibuki. Apparently I crossed her somehow, but no one seems to know what I did wrong."

"Hmm. You were probably getting too close to Dr. Akagi. There are rumors going around that they're…close."

"I see."

"Maya really cares about her, and she doesn't want her going off with just anybody, see?"

"Right."

"Still… I don't see what there is to worry about…" Asuka stepped in closer, invading his space as she looked up, removing his glasses. "You look even better without these." Otacon tried to stall against her advances.

"How old are you, Asuka?"

"Old enough."

"I really doubt that."

"What? No, I mean it. I'm turning sixteen next month, and--"

"Whoa, Whoa, slow down, Asuka. I've only been in this country for a few hours, but I'm pretty sure age of consent isn't fifteen."

"You're so boring. Kaji tried to give me the same line…"

"An ex of yours?"

"And Misato's, but she shot him." The doors flew open, and Otacon backed slowly away, retrieving his glasses with a shaky hand. Asuka winked at him as the doors closed, and Otacon slumped against a wall for a moment before continuing his return trip. He sat there, and called out to no one in particular.

"Is every woman in this place either off limits or crazy?"

"Depends on your 'limits,' stranger." A tan-clad male NERV Lieutenant with straight brown hair replied, emerging from around a corner nearby.

"Who are you?"

"Shigeru Aoba, and I couldn't help but notice you're in a bit of a fix, man."

"The name's Otacon," Hal said, standing to greet the sympathizer formally.

"Pleasure. Anyway, I can tell you that every woman here at NERV is a bit of a double-edged sword, if you catch my drift."

"I think I do."

"Meet me in Central Dogma Level 12 in an hour, and I'll give you the run down."

"Thanks, Shigeru."

"No problem. Oh, and Otacon?"

"Hm?"

"You wearin' a cup? Because it really comes in handy here."

"I got it, thanks."

Returning to the dark office, Otacon was greeted by Sunny's overt optimism and Snake's respectful reservation. Sunny turned and waved, then turned back to her computer, where a diagram of Melchior was spread out on the monitor. Snake sat in a corner he had made for himself; a small table and cabinet next to him housed all his equipment, weapons, and ammo. Otacon sat down at his own computer, and began reading through the lists of possible Field Inquests NERV had laid out for them.

"Wow…"

"_I know. It's as if they've never done a Field Inquest or Espionage mission before, and we inherited all the cases on the backburner._"

"I'll say. There are cases from two years ago, and even further back!"

"_Leave it to them to leave it to us_."

"That was really deep, Snake."

"…_I've been saving it._"

Sunny sat happily at her computers, the biggest monitor of which displayed a diagram of Melchior, the MAGI of her choice. As she basked in the whitish glow, her eyes scanned incredibly quickly over line after line of data regarding hacking. As she read, parts of the wise blue polygon flashed green to show her access; Melchior opened up his secrets to the young hacker without restraint. She took down notes, and ported over infiltration and anti attack-barrier schemes with a grin on her face; these were new, exotic techniques she had never seen before.

Looking down at his watch, and angling it to avoid glare from his monitor, Otacon saw that an hour had already passed. Standing and covertly adjusting his groin cup, Otacon headed for the door.

"_Heading out?_"

"Yeah. I've got to meet with some NERV Lieutenant."

"_Be careful, Otacon. I won't come pick your body off the floor if you get into trouble._"

"Right."

Otacon left through the automatic door, and took the now familiar path through Central Dogma. He pressed the call button for the central elevator, and a clicking noise began, signaling the elevator car's approach. He sincerely hoped to himself that he didn't get stuck in the elevator with anyone awkward this time, 'but,' he figured, 'with NERV, it's sort of inevitable.' After a moment, the elevator doors slid open, and Otacon stepped in. He pressed the button for Level 12, and waited for the doors to close. Just as there was just a small crack left, a small pale hand stuck in, opening the doors again. The pale hand belonged to the equally pale Rei, who entered the elevator with a nod to Otacon. After a few floors, Otacon tried to strike up a conversation.

"So, what floor are you headed for, Miss Ayanami?"

"I am not."

"Oh… So, you pilot Evangelion?"

"Yes. Unit 00."

"I see. And you're off to school, I assume?"

"Yes." A good guess, for Rei had indeed changed out of her plugsuit, favoring instead a sea-green and white school uniform. There was another silence, and Otacon became aware of a new noise, different and apart from the clicking of the floor indicator. It almost sounded like…dripping; like a wet umbrella over a hardwood floor. Every few seconds, there was a comparatively loud 'drip.' Otacon looked down, and saw a few drops on the floor **directly between Rei's feet**!

"Rei… are you…alright?"

"Yes." Otacon backed away, and averted his eyes until the elevator, at length, found Level 12. The doors opened, but Rei left first. As she walked swiftly off, Otacon thought he saw a flash of what should have been white, but strangely wasn't, below her uniform skirt. Mouth gaping once more, he walked out into the stark dark corridors, and turned a corner, to find Shigeru leaning against the dark metal wall, partly in shadow. As he stepped up fully, he emerged into the relative light, a slight smile on his usually dire face.

"Come with me. If we're gonna talk, it needs to be in private."

"Alright." He lead Otacon into a dark office, and flipped a switch. A small but bright overhead lamp illuminated a plain table, which hefted a large stack of file folders and was accompanied by two chairs. Shigeru crossed to the opposite side and sat down, then motioned for Otacon to do the same.

"So."

"So?"

"NERV can be dangerous for us guys. Every woman in this place has some story, some secret, some skeleton in their closet ready to jump out if you get too close. Get me?"

"I think so… It seems to be that way so far, anyway."

"I've got the info right here. You ready?"

"Sure."

Shigeru took five folders from the pile, and threw them down on the table, fanning them out equally. Otacon's Japanese was only so good, but he could read the names and match them to the small pictures in the lower right of each folder.

"Shigeru, are these personal dossiers?"

"Exactly. Now, they won't tell us everything, but it gives you a little background. I won't make you read them, you just try to memorize the face while I tell you about them."

"Sure."

"Ok. Where to begin? Ah. Let's start with the Evangelion pilots. This is Asuka Langley Sohryu. She pilots Eva 02, and she's quite the semé, if you get me."

"She was very forceful."

"With you? Damn. She has quite the libido, and she won't stop despite her age. Your best bet is to just keep saying 'no.' Unless you're into this sort of thing?"

"What? No!"

"Right. Next, Rei Ayanami. She's pretty off limits in every sense. She's fifteen like Asuka, but there's another side. She's in the Commander's pocket, in more ways than one."

"I saw her in the elevator, she was…"

"I've seen it as well. Just try to ignore it, and she'll ignore you. Now, about Misato."

"Just, please, get onto Ritsuko and Maya. What's their deal, Shigeru?"

"Well, there are some rumors going around that they're a couple. Semé and Uké, get it?"

"Really? Then why is Dr Akagi coming on to me?"

"I don't know man, but Maya doesn't like it, so I'd watch out. She could get violent."

"She already has…"

"She could get more violent." As Shigeru said this, a light knock sounded. The door flew open, and a NERV technician entered, crossing the small room to his commanding officer.

"Sir, I have a message from Dr. Akagi."

"Let's hear it, then." The technician took out a small slip of paper, and read it.

"From the desk of Dr. Ritsuko Akagi: Aoba-san, heard Otacon was with you. Don't ask how. Tell him I need to see him immediately in Eva Cage 01. That is all."

"Well, you heard him, Otacon. Get going to the Eva cage. Just go back to the elevator, go down to level B33, and take a left."

"Ok…"


	3. Chapter 3

Otacon descended into the very bowels of NERV HQ, finally alone in the awkwardness generator known as the elevator. It was the first time he had been alone in the elevator, and it gave him some time to think.

'Just what is an Eva Cage? Does it have something to do with the Evangelion Project? I wonder how an Evangelion stacks up against a Metal Gear. But why would Dr. Akagi want me to come down there? I'm not sure I even have clearance to see the Eva Project.'

Otacon exited the elevator, and took a left as instructed. Turning a few corners, he reached a large, heavy-looking door, complete with a complex keypad device to the side. Otacon tried swiping his ID card, to no avail. He typed a few possibilities into the keypad; still nothing. After a few minutes, a speaker above the keypad crackled with a female voice. It was Ritsuko's, sans high frequency notes.

"Hello, Otacon. Hold on a second, I'll let you in."

The door unsealed with a hiss, and it slid open in five layers. Inside was total blackness, but Otacon proceeded inside, following a soft whistling that traveled in the air. The air inside was hot and humid, and Otacon could hear some liquid sloshing about, like waves on a beach, but quicker and heavier. He walked forward on a metal floor, which clanged loudly under his steps. As the door closed behind him, enclosing him in total darkness, Otacon began to worry. He stopped, and tried to look around, but saw only blackness on every side. As he spun about, several intense overhead lights flashed on, revealing a gargantuan face. It seemed somewhat robotic, though smooth and sleek; it was a deep purple, with green accents and two dormant recesses that Otacon could only figure to be eyes.

"A face? A giant robot? Is this…" The rest of the lights in the massive chamber flickered on one by one, revealing what lay below the robotic face. A sea of orange liquid, which seemed to conceal the rest of the robot, rippled to and fro, five feet below the walkway on which Otacon stood awestruck.

"Evangelion. Unit 01, to be precise." It was Dr. Akagi's voice, and Otacon turned around to see her head bobbing above the surface of the orange sea. She hoisted herself into a small rubber raft with an outboard motor, which she directed over to the causeway. Climbing a ladder brought her up to Otacon's level, and she looked into his eyes with desire. Otacon stayed speechless as she emerged; she was dressed in a conservative but tight-fitting one-piece bathing suit, dripping with the warm orange liquid. She motioned to Otacon to follow her, and climbed back into the raft. Otacon obeyed, and soon they were adrift in the middle of the warm orange sea.

"So, why am I here?"

"I wanted to talk, Otacon. We can talk, can't we?"

"Apparently not…"

"What?"

"Your subordinate, Maya Ibuki, isn't happy with the way we've been…interacting."

"Oh, don't worry about her. She's just jealous."

"So, then the rumors are true--" He was rudely interrupted by Dr. Akagi's mouth, which planted itself over his own, clamping tightly as her tongue probed his staunchly closed lips. She pulled back disappointed, with a pouting look on her face.

"What's the matter, Otacon? You're resisting me…"

"I just can't do this until I know why you're being so forward like this!"

"Oh, I see. Well Otacon, all my life I've been sort of…alone. I've never had a lasting relationship with anyone, I live with a bunch of cats instead of people, and I get jealous when I see other people getting intimate, and **Oh God, I'm so alone!**" She fell into Otacon's lap, and began to sob. Otacon looked down at her in pity, but then came to realization.

"Oh no! Me too!" He leaned down on Dr. Akagi's body, and started sobbing too. They sat there in the boat, quivering in each other's embrace, while a shadowy figure watched from the glass observation box several stories above. Of course, their sobbing looked very different from way up there, and the face, partially obscured by shadow yet still identifiable, scowled once again.

The next day, Snake was instructed to meet with Commander Ikari once more, to discuss the former's directives and regulations in the field. He walked solidly through the corridors from his small quarters, resisting the instinct to stop and peek around every corner before continuing. He eventually found himself directed into a large, spacious office by an attractive young secretary. (Not that he felt any attraction, though not for a lack of trying!) He walked across the length of the darkened office, lit only by an eerie orange glow from the circular outer wall. Snake stood across the Commander's desk, waiting for the enshrouded man to speak up. As the orange glow seemed to seethe, parts of the Commander came into the odd light; he sat without a word, hands entwined in front of his mouth. After what seemed like ages of staring between the two unyielding powers, the Commander spoke up, if briefly.

"Hm…" Snake responded in kind.

"_Hmm_…" There was a silence, when the Commander spoke up once more.

"Solid Snake, we need you to carry out field operations that deal with…people."

"_You don't usually operate against people_?"

"We usually deal with Angels, but now we have different priorities."

"_I understand. What do I need to do_?"

"There are some individuals that want NERV gone. We need your unit to deal with them."

"_How does it pay_?"

"Better than you've had before. But there are also certain…perks…to working with NERV."

"_Such as_?"

"Our scientists have a way with biochemistry, especially in manipulation of the human genome. I understand you have some certain problems that we can deal with, in exchange for your services."

"_Tell me more, Ikari_."

Otacon and Ritsuko laid quietly, dozing afloat in Eva 01's cage. Suddenly, an alarm sounded; Ritsuko sat up and frantically tried to start the outboard motor. Otacon looked up through red eyes, curious.

"What's the alarm for, Ritsuko?"

"We need to get out! Eva 01's gonna launch!" The raft reached the metal causeway, and the two hastily climbed up onto it. As they took to the ladder, the LCL began to drain quickly. They stood atop the causeway in front of Eva 01's dormant face, when a familiar noise resounded through the cavernous cage. The two cringed as the causeway began to retract towards the doorways, and Unit 01's eyes flashed into life. Otacon took Ritsuko by the hand, and the couple rushed for the doorway. They reached the threshold, and Ritsuko put her ID card up to the scanner by the door. It hissed as the hydraulics worked the door open, though painfully slowly.

"You've gotta be kidding! Ritsuko, how long will this take?"

"Almost…Now!" Otacon grabbed Ritsuko about her waist, held her tight, and dove through the narrow opening in the door. On the other side, they lay on the ground, bruised and panting, but safe for now. Away in the command bridge, Maya kicked the wall in frustration, watching the monitor of Cage 01 with her finger still on the button.

Snake lay in a comfortable but sterile-feeling hospital bed in NERV's unnaturally bright hospital ward, surrounded by beautiful young nurses in white renditions of the familiar NERV uniforms, complete with pin-on hats that bore the half fig leaf symbol. One particularly nice-looking one sat by his side, and perked up when she saw him staring.

"Oh good, you're awake!"

"_Yeah, and_?"

"Don't be so grumpy, now. The Commander told us that you'd be free to go back to your own quarters as soon as the anesthetic wore off. Are you feeling any pain?"

"_I'm feeling something_…" He was, and it was a feeling he had never experienced before, though he had heard about it many times. He felt a tingling throughout his body, but in one place in particular… He was interrupted by an odd feeling of being watched, and noticed the young nurse staring at him.

"…I'll go now. When you're ready, your clothes are here by your bed. See you later, stranger…"

"…_Right_." After a few minutes, Snake was able to get back into his OctoCamo and leave for his quarters. (Just how does one get into that suit?) All the way over, women seemed to giggle and whisper to each other, and men turned away or cracked up in spite of themselves. Snake wondered what their problem was.

"_Maybe it's the OctoCamo suit. But why? It covers more than those girls' plugsuits_…" Now there was a thought: Rei and Asuka in their plugsuits. Snake was overcome by a crippling sensation, and slumped against the wall of the elevator as it arrived. He was sweating, panting, and on the whole rather odd. He stayed where he was, and marveled. Every time he thought about Rei or Asuka, or Misato, or even Ritsuko, the feeling would get more intense. Just as he felt he could take no more, the elevator stopped abruptly, and let in a single passenger. Misato stepped in, and Snake looked up at her, only to experience another pang of that great new feeling. His eyes traveled up her legs, over her short black dress, her tight-fitting red officer's jacket, her silver cross pendant, her lips, eyes, hair, and back down…

"Are you Ok, Snake?"

"_Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little…off balance_." He stood up, bracing himself against the wall as the sensation continued.

"Something's the matter, Snake. Come on, you can tell me," she said, approaching slowly.

"_The Commander…gave me surgery. It's…a new feeling_." Her eyes searched his staggering body up and down, then up slightly, until she found the origin of his problem.

"You've never felt this way before?"

"_No. I wasn't made to have desires, or feel these feelings. It would interfere with the mission_…"

"Well, I'll teach you, if you want." Misato edged closer, pinning Snake to the wall as the elevator continued its journey.

Ritsuko and Otacon recovered from their ordeal, and stood up in the stark corridor. They brushed themselves off, and Ritsuko walked over to the wall, where a small black disc, almost resembling a camera lens, was set into the metal. She flashed her ID card, and a small hologram appeared, perpendicular to the wall, resembling a full keyboard. Otacon watched from behind her in amazement as her fingers flew over the holographic keys at lightning speed.

"Wow. You're really amazing, Ritsuko."

"Yes, magic fingers. But you knew that, didn't you?" She finished typing, and a small seam appeared in the wall as the hologram flickered off. The seam widened, revealing a small shelf with a white garment on it. She took it out and unfolded it, a fresh white lab coat. The shelf closed once more, and Ritsuko put on the new coat, walking off with Otacon back towards the elevators.

"Let's get you back to your office, Ok?"

"Sure."

Otacon and Ritsuko walked off hand in hand, while Misato taught Snake the meaning of pleasure. Both couples took their time, neither in a hurry to return to Philanthropy's office anytime soon. As they relished in their carnality, Sunny sat dejectedly at her desk, waiting in the dark for something to do.

"Hello? Where did everybody go?"


	4. Chapter 4

Sunny sat in the darkness, waiting for something to do. It had been over six hours since Otacon and Snake had left, and she was becoming lonely. She turned back to her computer, and brought up Melchior's mainframe. She brought down a headset, consisting of goggles, a dome for the head, and gloves with wires from every fingertip. She looked into the goggles, and put on the gloves.

"Wow, NERV has hands-on computer dive technology? This is serious Public Security stuff, though. I guess Dr. Akagi can be really persuasive when she wants to."

Sunny flipped a switch, and a world of information became instantly available to her childish whims. Melchior lay spread out like a diagram drawn in the floor, with towers of information at every intersection. It was a dream come true to Sunny; she had physical access to the information and its layout instead of text on a flat screen. She walked (virtually) through the vast grid, guided by a floating holographic head.

'Odd,' thought Sunny. 'It reminds me of Dr. Akagi, but the hair is different.'

As Sunny dove through NERV's vast intranet of hacking resources, she got the feeling she was being watched, but who (or what) was it?

"It could be a diagnostic program in Melchior," she said aloud to herself. "Or a search crawler nearby. But I'm not picking up either. Weird." A shadowy figure approached Sunny's physical body as she was engrossed in the web, and reached out for her shoulder, taking firm hold.

"Eek! Attack Barrier! … Wait, what?" She lifted up the headset, and looked behind her to find Commander Ikari, trying his best to smile warmly at the startled youth.

"Co-Commander Ikari? Do you need me for something?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Please come with me."

"What is it?"

"I'll explain on the way." Sunny left her computer behind, and followed the Commander through the hallways. Every so often, Gendou would glance over his shoulder, look at Sunny, and smile, though she was bewildered by the strange expression he bore.

'It's the same expression he had on when he was around Rei…'

They arrived at the elevator, which opened to them almost immediately, though it contained a strange sight. Snake sat slumped against the wall, head back and eyes closed, breathing heavily. Misato stood at the other end of the elevator, tending to her disheveled hair and clothing, and…smoking a cigarette!?

"You know Snake, very few people know that I smoke."

"_Why's that_?"

"Well, I only smoke on one occasion."

"_Which occasion_?"

"You know… This one. After I have se-- Commander Ikari! Good Evening, sir!"

"Major Katsuragi, is Snake able to stand?"

"I'm afraid he's a little tuckered out at the moment, sir."

"I see. No matter; Sunny, follow me. We will take my private route.

Gendou led Sunny around another corner, and onto a section of floor marked with a small red rectangle. He stood within the shape, and motioned for Sunny to join him. She moved in close, and the Commander put a hand around her shoulder, pulling her tighter.

"I apologize for the inconvenience; these platforms are usually built for one."

"Ok…" Gendou flipped a switch on the wall, and the platform sank slowly into the floor. It traveled steadily down a narrow shaft, until it finally arrived in a medium-sized waiting room, also stark metal, but well lit and occupied by an attractive secretary. Several chairs lined the walls, but the Commander led Sunny straight through a large door into his strange office. It seemed especially strange to Sunny, who was weirded out by the eerie orange glow, and the emptiness of the room.

"Sunny, I have a very important question for you."

"Yes?"

"As your superior and your commanding officer, you surely know that there are certain…orders…that I may impose on you, at my discretion."

"I suppose so…"

"And there are certain favors that I may ask of you…"

"I…what kind of favors…?"

"Suppose I… This is quite awkward to actually speak about, in the past I've simply done it without permission, but I see that you require more…persuasion."

"I don't feel comfortable with this, sir."

"What's that?"

"It's just that…well… My Uncle Hal told me never to talk to strangers, and, quite frankly Commander, you're pretty strange."

"Strange? What do you mean, Sunny?"

"I don't know, I can't really explain it. You are, though."

"I see. You can go now, Sunny." He then mumbled to himself as Sunny turned to leave: "I will have my way with you before you leave NERV, make no mistake."

Sunny exited, leaving the Commander alone and frustrated. Rei had been so easy to reel in, but this one was proving…difficult. He looked down onto his desk, and found two small buttons side-by-side. He held down the red button on the left, and spoke into a small speaker to his assistant in the waiting room.

"Miss Tendou?"

"Yes sir?"

"Am I strange?"

"Sir?"

"Do people find me strange?"

"Honestly? …A little bit, sir. Some people do. Especially most women, and your son."

"Ah. I see. … Miss Tendou, would you like to step into my office for a few minutes?"

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm up to my neck in filing."

"I see." He released the button, and frowned to himself for a minute, then held the blue button on the right.

"Rei?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"I need you in my office. Immediately."

"Yes sir."

"And Rei? Wear your plugsuit."

"Yes sir."

Sunny arrived back at Philanthropy's office, thoroughly confused, and found Otacon inside, huddled by his computer bank. He seemed to be intently typing some sort of document, his face basking in the pale light of the main computer monitor. Sunny tried to get his attention with a cheery wave, but found him totally engrossed.

"Uncle Hal! I'm back!"

"Yeah, hi Sunny. Heard you were up in the Commander's office. You weren't in trouble, were you?"

"I don't think so…"

"Something bothering you, Sunny? You seem a little hung up on something."

"Well, the Commander was asking me about following his orders, and doing him favors."

"Favors? That's an odd way of putting it. But what's so weird about that?"

"It's just… As I left, he said something really confusing."

"Like what?"

"Well… It's just… Why would Commander Ikari want to have his way with me?" This grabbed Otacon's attention, and he turned away from his computer to face Sunny directly.

"What? What did he say?"

"He said that 'he would have his way with me before I left NERV.'"

"Are you sure you didn't mishear him?"

"I'm sure that's what he said, Uncle Hal."

"I think I should have a little talk with the Commander before the day is over. Sunny, stay here and don't leave with anyone unless you call me first. Understand?"

"I do." Otacon stormed out to give the Commander a piece of his mind, and Sunny quickly became bored. She eventually drifted over to Otacon's computers, and found the document he had been writing. She read the beginning aloud to herself.

"'**I was called down to meet the Good Doctor, and entered the room designated for our rendezvous. I entered into complete blackness, deep darkness which was illuminated by the glowing voice of my angel as she emerged from the surging orange sea**…' … I don't get it." She was about to continue, but her inhale was interrupted by a gritty half-whisper from the shadows.

"_I wouldn't read any further if I were you, Sunny_."

"Why not? What's it about? Is Uncle Hal writing a story?"

"_Something like that. At any rate, I wouldn't read it if I were you_."

"Wait… Snake! If you were me… I'd be you, right?"

"_That's…not really the point of the phrase_."

"And if I were Solid Snake, I'd sneak around in the jungle, and hide in the bushes, and collect information, and shoot the bad guys!"

"_That's great, Sunny. I'm sure you'd make a great…me_."

"And if you were me, what would you do? Would you stay in the Nomad, and cook eggs, and play with action figures, and hack?"

"_I…I guess, Sunny_." Sunny smiled wide, and Snake couldn't help but smile back.

"Whoa. Wait a minute, Snake."

"_What_?"

"We forgot Uncle Hal!"

"_What do you mean_?"

"Well, if I'm you, and you're me, than who's Uncle Hal?"

"_Can't he just be himself_?"

"Boring! … Ooh, I know! Can Uncle Hal be Big Boss?"

"_No! Wait, why_?"

"Well, Big Boss was basically your --uh, my-- father, and Uncle Hal watches over you --by which I mean me-- during missions like a father would for his son."

"_You're running wild with my rhetoric. Please, just stop_."

"Hold on, what about Johnny and Meryl?"

"_They can be each other, and Campbell can be Liquid, and Liquid can be REX, and REX can be Ocelot, and Ocelot can be Big Mama, and she can be The Boss, and The Boss can be Laughing Octopus. and Laughing Octopus can be Otacon. There. Everyone's been taken care of. Can we stop now_?"

"I guess so. You sure are good at this, Snake."

"_It's what I do, Sunny. And tactical espionage. But this is less dangerous_."

After a minute or so, Snake remembered the conversation he had heard between Sunny and Otacon, and felt that he should talk to her about it. He could probably clear up some things that Otacon just wouldn't feel comfortable talking about.

"_Sunny, we need to talk about what happened between you and the Commander. This could be serious_."

"What is it?"

"_Sunny, I think the Commander might be…attracted to you_."

"You mean he likes my company?"

"_No, I mean he might want to do certain things to you_."

"What things?" Snake moved closer, and whispered a few words to her. Her face contorted in fear as the pictures formed in her brain, and pangs of fear and disgust permeated her. She curled up on the floor, and rocked back and forth slowly, almost whimpering to herself.

"But… Snake, I'm just a kid! Why…"

"_He's a pervert, Sunny. Some people just take pleasure in wierd things_."

"What…what do you mean?"

"_Remember his secretary outside his office_?"

"Yes?"

"_He's doing those things to her. It's part of her job_."

"What?"

"_And that girl you saw in the elevator? The one with the blue hair in the white suit? Her too_."

"No…"

"_And Dr. Akagi, and Dr. Akagi's mother, before she died, and so many others. Half the women in NERV are in his pocket, and not figuratively. I mean they actually put their hands in his pockets, and_--"

"Snake, what are we gonna do?"

"_We're gonna do something_?"

"Uncle Hal is really in love with Dr. Akagi, I can tell. I don't want him to lose her to that old pervert!"

"_Well, there is one thing_…"

"Yeah. You sneak into his office, OctoCamo active, Operator drawn, and take him out quietly. Then, you'll emerge victorious, and Uncle Hal and Dr. Akagi will be together, and the women will be free!"

"_Sorry, Sunny; I won't do it_."

"Wha…!? Why not!?"

"_Sneaking in and shooting him? It's not really my style, see_?"

"Snake, it's exactly your style! What's wrong?"

"_I'm not going to kill him; that would be too quick. We'll dig up all the dirt we can, get evidence, then expose him for the monster he is to the whole company_."

"That's so devious, Snake."

"_It's what I do, Sunny_."


	5. Chapter 5

"Commander Ikari, Dr. Emmerich is here to see you. Shall I let him in?"

"One moment please …zip… Yes, let him in."

The Commander's secretary pushed a button, and a soft buzz sounded. Otacon reached forward and took the door in hand, which opened easily, then shut and latched behind him. Inside, once his eyes adjusted to the new dim light, Otacon could make out Commander Ikari behind his desk, hands folded in front of mouth as they often were. As he walked further in, he saw a thin, female silhouette against the glowing orange wall to the Commander's left, and figured it to be the deliciously underage Rei Ayanami.

"Commander, we need to talk."

"What about, Dr.?"

"What about? How about you making passes at Sunny?"

"Who has told you these things?"

"Sunny told me herself."

"And you would trust a confused little girl over my word?"

"What? Yes!"

"I see. I don't suppose you have any hard evidence?"

"Not yet, but it won't be hard to find. It looks like Sunny's not the only one suffering this kind of thing." Rei slowly edged away from the conversation, but a quick look from the Commander froze her in her tracks.

"I doubt anyone would believe you, Dr. Emmerich. You are the new American scientist, and I am the seasoned, Japanese native Commander. Look all you want, you will not find anything to detract from my people's loyalty."

"I'm still gonna try. You'll see; you won't be in that seat much longer, Commander." And with that, he stormed out, leaving Rei and the Commander alone once more. Gendou made sure the door had locked, then pushed the red button on his desk.

"Miss Tendou? No calls."

"Yes, Commander Ikari." He released the button, leaned back in his chair, and looked over to Rei, who stood against the wall, visibly uncomfortable.

"Now Rei, where were we?" Little did he know that he was being closely watched. In the shadows, Snake crouched low, concealed with OctoCamo and FaceCamo, video camera in hand. He pressed 'record' as Gendou resumed his ghastly act. Even the well-traveled, man-of-the-world Solid Snake couldn't help but be taken aback by the Commander's actions. Once he was finished, He left with Rei, and Snake emerged from his hiding spot, complete with all the evidence he needed to prove the Commander's perversion.

He snuck out, and rejoined Sunny and Otacon in Philanthropy's office. Once inside, he told Otacon about the plan to find hard evidence, and that he had it in hand.

"Really, Snake? That's great! Now we can put that bastard away for good!"

"_Yeah, I hope it works. It wasn't easy to get_."

"Well, let's see it."

"_Alright. Sunny, close your eyes._" Sunny put her hands over her eyes, and turned away. Snake walked over to his own small computer, plugged in the camera, and played back the footage. As the tape began to play, Otacon's face quickly changed from intrigue to disgust.

"Ugh… That's Rei!"

"_Yeah._" Sunny kept her back turned, but could not help being curious as she heard the small whimpering sounds from Snake's computer speakers.

"Uncle Hal? Snake? What's going on?"

"_Remember what I told you he'd do to you? That._"

"Eek! No!" She clamped her hands tighter over her eyes, and huddled down on the ground.

As the pair finished viewing their ghastly evidence, Snake removed the camera, and turned to Otacon, a dire look on his face.

"_If this works…_"

"I know. We could be heroes!"

"_I'm just saying that we'll need to watch out for Ikari's revenge after we do this. He might be a little pissed, you know?_"

"Right. Well, you keep the footage safe, and I'll send around a message to NERV personnel to meet us to see it. Ok?"

"_Right._"

Sunny sat patiently, waiting as the two sprang into action. Snake walked casually out to spread the word verbally, while Otacon typed furiously, composing a message. After a few minutes, he turned to Sunny, an accomplished look on his face.

"Mind listening to my notice, Sunny?"

"Sure!"

"Ok, here goes. 'Dear NERV employees: you are being deceived and preyed upon. Someone in the very highest tier of NERV management has been slowly corrupting this fine establishment with their hideous perversion. Please attend a special meeting to discuss this matter and view the shocking evidence.' Well Sunny, what do you think?"

"That's great, Uncle Hal! But I don't think anyone will show up."

"What? Why not?"

"There's no incentive. You've got to put 'Free Food' at the end, to make it worth their while. Then everybody will come!"

"Alright, fine. Free…Food. Alright, I'm sending it…now. Let's just hope this works."

"I hope so. But where are we getting the free food from?"

"Oh, I have my ways," Otacon said with a grin as he dialed the R&D department.

Snake made his rounds throughout the various departments of NERV HQ, making sure everyone had received the message. He entered the department's office stealthily, snuck up behind the department head, grabbed them in a CQC forearm choke, and asked them a couple of questions.

"_Hey. Did you receive a message recently from Philanthropy_?"

"A-About the corruption? That there was evidence, and we were supposed to go see it later."

"_Close enough. Does your department plan on attending?_"

"Whatever you say, just let me go!"

"_Right._" He released the man, and moved on. No one was going to miss this meeting.

Back in Philanthropy's office, Sunny watched as Otacon paced quickly back and forth, mumbling to himself.

"But how to introduce it? … Never was any good at public speaking… Need to grab their attention… And **where's the food**?" As he yelled this, there was a sudden knock at the door. Sunny went and opened it, and was greeted by a familiar sight: the NERV technicians that had installed their computer hardware earlier now stood outside, arms full of food and drink. Otacon pushed through them until he found the person he was seeking: Dr. Akagi.

"Thank you so much for putting the food together, Ritsuko."

"It's not totally unheard of for the R&D Department to do catering."

"Here, let me take you all to the room where we're holding the meeting."

"Alright." Dr. Akagi made a signal that the technicians should follow, and they instantly took up a 'flying-V' formation behind her. They walked through the corridors and rode an elevator down a few floors, emerging into (big surprise) another stark metal corridor.

"Otacon dear, where are you holding this meeting, exactly?"

"Well, I couldn't think of anything big enough, but then I remembered one room that had all the space we need. You remember; you told me to meet me there…"

"You're going to assemble us in Unit 01's cage?"

"Exactly. I've set the place up myself. Check it out." Dr. Akagi flashed her card, and the doors to cage 01 hissed open. Inside, Unit 01's face was obscured by a huge white screen, and the causeway in front was adorned with several empty tables. In the LCL below the causeway, Otacon had set up hundreds of small inflatable dinghies, (like the one he and Ritsuko had…experienced,) which bobbed in the nearly still surface of the steaming soup. In the very rear, one larger boat was tethered to the wall, outfitted with a stabilized projector to broadcast the footage.

"Well, what do you think?"

"It's…different. Let's just hope we don't have to launch Eva 01 while this is going on, and this should go fine." She gave a different signal, and the technicians surrounded her, refreshments readied. She shed her white coat, and donned a serious expression.

"Alright people, set it up just like I taught you. This is what all those years of Computer Science and Programming are for."

They all responded in unison: "Yes Ma'am!"

The technicians sprang into action, setting down tablecloths, preparing ice troths and heating burners, and setting out foods in some order. As they did this, Ritsuko turned to Otacon, a grin on her face.

"Not bad, right?"

"It's amazing, how quickly they do this."

"Apparently, catering is all about science. Go figure."

"Thank you so much, Ritsuko."

"Not at all. But, you do realize that this is taking up some of our time that would otherwise be used in Research. We, by which I mean I, will require some…compensation from you. For all the time and effort."

"Sure…"

"Come find me after this goes down, and we can settle up."

"I'll be sure to."

So it was that nearly the entirety of essential NERV personnel was assembled in Cage 01, to view the most shocking video of their life. They were all afloat on the LCL, plates full of food from the causeway, eagerly awaiting the start of the meeting. There was talk among them of what the film would be, but most simply waited in silence. After a while, Otacon managed to steel himself enough to stand up before the masses, and deliver his short introductory speech.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with a serious tone that I introduce this meeting. I've called you here because someone in the highest level of your association is carrying out horrible acts which conflict with the high standards of his position. His depraved actions have claimed many innocent women here at NERV and possibly beyond, and I believe it is time for a change. So, with all of your welfare in mind, I had an anonymous associate of mine sneak into his office, and record him in the middle of such acts. This footage I have for you is very graphic, and adult in nature. So if you have objections to that sort of thing, I'm afraid it's too late; you'll have to close your eyes. Sunny, roll the footage, and cover your eyes."

The projector flickered on, and the footage evened out from its initial lag. The camera operator (Hah. Operator. Like the gun.) slowly adjusted the focus and light iris until the Commander's office was clear to see. Otacon began to narrate from the causeway, in a wavering tone due to his obvious uneasiness.

"Now, for those of you who don't know, this is Commander Ikari's office. As the shot pans over, you can see the Commander sitting at his desk. He makes a motion, and someone walks over." On screen, Rei Ayanami slowly approached the desk, wearing her plugsuit, awaiting instructions.

"You may notice that I've muted the sound throughout the footage. This is simply to stop the name of the victim from being heard, although I'm afraid many of you know her by sight already. Commander Ikari makes another motion, and Rei comes around to his side of the desk…" The NERV personnel in their boats showed a myriad of reactions. Some were genuinely surprised, others vaguely intrigued, and the remainder just plain disgusted at what they saw.

"It is at this point that he…that he actually begins the act. I don't require that you watch it, but maybe you could at least listen." Snake flipped a switch on the wall, and the sounds of Rei's whimpers and cries echoed throughout the Eva Cage. All the people who had been intrigued soon became disgusted as they realized the truth, which Otacon verbalized.

"Those are not the cries of pleasure, ladies and gentlemen. Those are the cries of pain and fear. Sunny, please stop the projector." Sunny emerged from hiding, and switched off the projector, leaving the screen blank and the cage dark. A light flashed into life above Otacon, focusing the audience's attention once more.

"With this in mind, I suggest we formulate a plan to remove Commander Ikari from his seat of power. Who's with me?" Slowly but surely, the audience raised their hands, showing their assent. Otacon thought for a moment, then turned to the row of NERV officers seated on the causeway. He approached Misato, and asked her a question, softly.

"Umm… Major Katsuragi, can we actually impeach Commander Ikari?"

"I doubt it. He's got the final say, so unless there was some kind of horrible 'accident'…"

"**I can be that accident!**" yelled a young male voice through the Cage's loudspeakers. Misato looked around Otacon's side, in time to see the screen ripped away by Unit 01's giant purple hand.

"Shinji! What are you doing?"

"**Look up!"**


	6. Chapter 6

Misato, Otacon, and the rest of the audience in the Cage all looked up to the distant ceiling. Far above their heads, a small box of light identified the observation chamber, with a silhouette inside.

"Is that…"

"_It's the Commander_," Snake said, zooming in close with the Solid Eye. "_He's been up there observing the whole thing._"

"**And he's going to pay! Father, you did such horrible things. To everyone, but especially to Ayanami. You couldn't stand to be without Yui, so you made yourself a replacement? That's wrong!**"

Gendou's voice replied over another set of speakers, his voice indicating the smirk that undeniably transected his face.

"Perhaps, but it worked out very well until those three came along."

"**You don't regret doing such a horrible thing?**"

"No."

"**I can't forgive that, father!**" Unit 01, under Shinji's control, reached swiftly up to the ceiling, and punched open the observation chamber, grabbing Gendou the same way he had grabbed Kaworu. He brought the hand back down to eye level, and held Gendou there, looking at him with Eva 01's narrowed eyes. Though obviously in some pain, Gendou managed to keep his composure, voice booming across the Cage for all to hear as he taunted his son.

"What's the matter, Shinji? You hesitated to kill an Angel in this way; how could you bring yourself to kill your own father in this way?"

"**I don't have to. Because I'm not the only one who's mad at you. Mother doesn't forgive you either.**" With a loud crack, the plating over Unit 01's eyes and mouth broke open. Holding Gendou in place, Unit 01 gave a tremendous roar, and devoured Gendou in one swift bite. Some blood leaked between the Eva's teeth as it panted, and eventually came back under Shinji's control, who deactivated the beast and ejected the entry plug. He fell from the plug into the LCL below, and swam to the causeway, where he passed out.

Ritsuko rushed over and, after finding that Shinji was indeed breathing, approached Otacon with a smile. She took him in her arms, and looked into his dazed eyes as she spoke.

"I had no idea you'd go to such lengths just for me. Thank you, Otacon."

"It was my duty to protect every woman in NERV from that monster."

"Thank you so much." She pulled him in closer, and they began to kiss, long and deep. Across the causeway, Misato watched in desperation, looked about frantically, and found her own mark.

"Get over here, Snake!" She pulled him in, catching him off guard (if that's possible) and locking into her own kiss, though more aggressive than Ritsuko's. After a while, the rest of the audience recovered from the shock, and began to leave boat by boat. An hour later, the cage held only six occupants: Ritsuko and Otacon lay in each other's arms, Misato and Snake did the same, Shinji slept in one of the many boats still bobbing around, and Sunny swam about in the LCL, having recently discovered its ability to directly oxygenate her blood.

"Wow! This place has everything! Can we stay, Uncle Hal? Can we?"

Otacon and Dr. Akagi stood up as the former heard this, and thought it over briefly. "I don't see why not. Why don't the Dr. and I discuss it back in her office?" Ritsuko looked seductively into Otacon's eyes, saying, "Or quarters."

"Yeah. Or quarters. Let's go."

"Right." Ritsuko was about to flash her ID card for the door, but a yell from behind froze her in her tracks.

"Nobody's going anywhere!" Ritsuko wheeled around, and yelled back.

"Maya?"

"I won't let this happen! I'm not going to lose you, Senpai! Not to him!" She walked forward slowly, a small pistol pointed at Otacon's chest.

"Put the gun down. Do as you're told, Maya!"

"I wish I could, Senpai, but I'm doing this because I love you!" Her lower lip quivered as she pulled back the hammer, cocking the gun.

"Because you love me? Maya, you can't be so selfish. I love Otacon, so just accept it."

"I won't! If I can't have you, nobody can!" Otacon stepped forward, a bold idea in mind.

"Maya, let's just forget about this. You haven't killed anyone yet."

"Maybe not, but I'm about to!" She looked away, and fired. Otacon staggered back, but quickly realized that he hadn't been hit. The bullet had whizzed by his head, leaving a ringing in his ear, though little else. Maya looked back to her target, shocked.

"I missed! No matter, the next one--Uh! Aack…" Her voice was cut off into a sputter as Snake grabbed her from behind in a firm but nonfatal blood choke. He looked down, and whispered to her as he took the gun away.

"_You only packed one bullet. It's a noble move, but it doesn't leave any room for error. Trust me, I know._" Her coughing increased in intensity as the choke wore on. "_Just a few more seconds, Maya. Almost there…_" He let her gently to the ground as she passed out with one final inhale. He threw the empty gun into the LCL, and checked on Otacon.

"_You alright?_"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just glad you came along when you did."

"_Well, lucky for you Misato let me go. You've got about three minutes to escape while Maya's out, I suggest you head somewhere safe, and stay there until she calms down again._"

"Thanks, Snake." The two left, followed by Shinji and Sunny, who were in eager conversation. (It wasn't often that Shinji found another kid he could feel safe talking with.) They turned the corner, leaving Snake standing between Misato and Maya's unconscious body. He struck up a conversation with Misato, which was suddenly interrupted by a soft hand on his right arm.

"You look older, but you've still got that power…"

"_Maya?_"

"That's right. The way you knocked me out, Snake… Well, Dr. Akagi never did that for me. It was amazing…" As Maya began caressing him from behind, Misato stood up and moved in, scowling.

"Back off, kid. He's mine."

"Can't we share?"

"If you think you can compete with me for his attention."

"I could!"

"Show me."

"Maybe I will!"

"_Please, ladies; There's plenty of Snake to go around."_

"Ooh, apparently so…"

Author's Note: So, thanks to everyone for their contributions and suggestions; I hope I did you proud. Please review again to let me know how the finished product turned out in your opinion, and I'll be most greatful. Let's hear what you've got to say, and I'll get working on the next one. See you soon!


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